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Volpe Center Highlights - November/December 2005SafetyDirector's Notes |
Focus |
Safety |
Mobility |
Environmental Stewardship 
Pipeline Safety Monitoring and Reporting Tool Released (PHMSA) The Volpe Center developed an Intranet application that helps OPS more effectively regulate pipeline operations across the nation. As the federal safety authority for the nation's pipeline transportation system, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's Office of Pipeline Safety (PHMSA/OPS) is responsible for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of 2.3 million miles of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. The Volpe Center helps OPS meet this challenge by developing automated systems that enhance its regulatory and enforcement capabilities. As part of this support, the Center's Aviation Safety Division developed an Intranet application, the Safety Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART). SMART provides structure to the enforcement process with workflow technology, and standardizes headquarters and region best practices, enabling OPS to more effectively use enforcement tools such as compliance orders, which require pipeline operators to correct underlying safety violations. On October 27, 2005, the first production version of SMART was released to OPS users. This version includes the initial release of the OPS Enforcement Tracking module, which automates the management of pipeline enforcement cases, allowing users to add, retrieve, and update enforcement records, as well as attach and retrieve documentation associated with the enforcement case. This production release also implements some of the changes identified at the User Acceptance Test in July 2005 and fixes problems identified in the beta release. A series of releases is planned to implement additional functionality over the course of the next year. |
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